1. WATER PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION - THE ROLE OF WATER QUALITY ASSURANCE AND TESTINGBY
MARGARET MACAULEY
CM-WQA
31st March, 2017

2. GOALS OF GHANA WATER COMPANY LTD
To produce and supply the Ghanaian consumer with water that is free from visible suspended matter, colour, turbidity, taste, odour and also free from disease causing organisms. It should not contain any substances that are injurious to health and should not be corrosive.
To ensure that treated water from the treatment plants conform to the Ghana Drinking Water Quality Standards. This means that the water must be clean, safe, wholesome and non-corrosive and should remain in this condition throughout the distribution system to its final destination – the consumer’s tap. .

3. WATER QUALITY ASSURANCE (WQA) DEPARTMENT
CORE VALUES
Professionalism,
Innovation,
Safety
Commitment
MOTTO : “Quantity and price are negotiable but quality
and safety are not”

4. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF WQA DEPARTMENT
WATER POLLUTION MANAGEMENT
Collaboration with Water Resources Commission and other stakeholders in pollution control and management
RAW WATER QUALITY MONITORING
 Raw water monitoring to determine treatability and health effect levels
WATER TREATMENT CHEMICALS MANAGEMENT
Programming for re-ordering treatment chemicals to ensure adequate quantities
Supervision and monitoring of Chemical usage at headworks to reduce wastage.
Monitoring and managing stock at Regional and Central Stores.

5. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF WQA DEPARTMENT
WATER TREATMENT AND QUALITY CONTROL
Effective operation of unit processes at the treatment plants
Judicious and cost effective application of chemicals
Elimination of health effects
DISTRIBUTION WATER QUALITY SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL
Ensuring the cleaning of treatment plant water retaining structures and service reservoirs
Ensuring the flushing and care of distribution system
Assuring quality through sampling and analysis of distribution system

6. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF WQA DEPARTMENT
RESEARCH AND BENCH SCALE TESTS
Testing of all treatment chemicals for efficacy and suitability
Running of bench scale and piloting for new treatment Chemicals, eg. Polyelectrolytes
MONITORING PLANT DOSING EQUIPMENT
Calibration and monitoring efficiency of all dozers (wet and dry)
Ensuring the installation and function of those yet to be installed.
. REGULATORY AND TARGETS COMPLIANCE
Ensuring achievement of targets viz bacteriology, turbidity, pH, Colour and Residual Chlorine.

7. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF WQA DEPARTMENT
PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Role in the construction of new treatment plants and rehabilitation of old ones
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT, ANALYTICAL CHEMICALS AND REAGENTS
Indenting for supply of laboratory equipment (replacements)
Indenting for analytical chemicals/Laboratory reagents to replenish stocks
WATER QUALITY DATA MANAGEMNET 
Compilation, storage, accessibility, and management of water quality data
Ensuring proper data processing and management reporting for all regions and units.

8. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF WQA DEPARTMENT
WATER SAFETY PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
Identifying priority areas to invest for improvement in operations to ensure water safety
STAFFING AND TRAINING
Ensuring adequate personnel in regions
Programming and planning training for water quality and treatment personnel (Operators and Technicians)

9. Quality Assurance - Treatment Plants and Distribution Systems
The production processes are monitored on hourly basis at the treatment plant to ensure that the final water meets the Ghana Drinking Water Standards
Samples are also collected and analyzed from the distribution system on daily basis
Example: Greater Accra has 22 districts.
30 water samples taken per district per month.
Total of Six Hundred and Sixty (660) water samples per month. Followed by lab. Analysis and information sharing
Compliance is % for safety parameters

10. Other Quality Assurance interventions
Sanitary surveys and education at consumers’ premises
Water sample taking at consumers' premises
Boosting of chlorine residual in the distribution systems,
Regular cleaning of buffer reservoirs and GWCL's water tankers.
Collaboration – WQA Department, the Call Center and the Distribution to ensure that consumer complaints are attended to and recommendations from the Quality Assurance Department are addressed.

11. SWOT ANALYSIS: STATUS OF WQA DEPARTMENT
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
one of the key operational departments in the company
availability of trained/professional human resources
availability of nine (9) regional laboratories (evenly distributed)
availability of plant laboratories
poor laboratory set-ups
some weak and obsolete laboratory equipment
low ICT application in laboratories
lack of timely replacement of equipment
lack of some consumables in laboratories
Lack of adequate training for staff
Qualified staffing and junior level
Readiness of staff to rise up to challenges
highly motivated staff
high customer alertness on WQ
ready support from Management and sister departments
low awareness of the relevance of water quality and health
poor customer attitude
frequent pipe-bursts
frequent staff exit (crossing to other departments
Delays in procurement of treatment chemicals and lab reagents

12. SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
availability of some vehicles for assignments
-availability of treatment chemicals
-availability of some important laboratory equipment.
-availability of some reagents for testing
-availability of built capacity in Water Safety Plans (WSPs
lack of commitment from some staff
Weak distribution system
poor laboratory infrastructure on some plants
very limited Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on plants
lack of capacity in filter management
over-aged vehicles for sampling jobs
unstable power supply
extensive capacity in water testing available
Water quality is key to the attainment of the SDGs
Water quality is beginning to receive attention nationally
Non-adherence to advice from WQAD
-low morale of some staff in department

13. GWCL INTERNAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY MONITORING TARGETS( KEY INDICATORS)No
SAMPLING TARGET
REGION
UNIT
ATMA
ASH
PROD.
NORTH
SOUTH CR WR ER NR BA VR
UER
UWR 1
PLANT SAMPLING NO
540 -
360
450
270 90 2
DSTRICT SAMPLING
1,560
300
510
570
200
240
140
PLANT 3
TURBIDITY
NTU ≤2 4
COLOUR HU ≤5 5 pH
*(incl) 6
RESIDUAL CL2
mg/L
0.5-1
(*incl) 7
BACTERIOLOGICAL
CFU/ML
100%
-ve
100%-ve
DITRIBUTION 8
TURBIDITY ***
95% 9 10
>7.0 11
≥0.1
(**) 12
CFU
/ML 13
ODOUR & TASTE
UNOFFENSIVE
*(inclusive )
** at furthest end
***5% Turbidity >2 should not be >5

14. Water Quality Parameters Monitored by GWCL
PHYSICOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS No
Parameter 1 pH 11
Iron 21
Zinc 2
Colour 12
Manganese 22
Lead 3
Turbidity 13
Fluoride 23
Copper 4
Residual Chlorine 14
Nitrate 24
Arsenic 5
Conductivity 15
Phosphate 25
Pesticides 6
Hardness 16
Nitrite 7
Chloride 17
Ammonia 8
Total Dissolved Solid 18
Cadmium 9
Sulphate 19
Chromium 10
Aluminium 20
Mercury

15. Water Quality Parameters Monitored by GWCL
BACTERIOLOGICAL No
Parameter 1
Total Bacteria count 2
Total Coliform 3
E. Coli

16. Thank You